We have alot of fires in our city, so I feel qualified to hold forth on "how long should you should wait before cleaning up after a fire". This is not a cut and dried question. I will show you some of the options available and you are free to choose.
The first step should always be to seek a building inspector, or another expert in fires and structures, to review the scene and make sure the structure is sound and safe. Next, you should leave everything as it is, and wait until someone from your insurance company has come out to inspect the damage. In case you have a lot of expensive items left in the structure, you should remove them and store them somewhere safe. Even though it may reduce the amount of money you receive from the insurance company, in my opinion, itas better to protect the items you still have from being stolen. Thieves specifically target houses and buildings that have just suffered a fire or other disaster, because they know the area is probably unsecured, and they steal whatever they can find. Once youave done all this, the last thing you need to do is take pictures of the area. If your camera was damaged in the fire, buy some disposable cameras from the store.
Next is the worst part: cleaning everything up. You should do this as soon as possible, because waiting too long can cause mold, mildew or bacteria to grow on the items that are left behind and whatas left of the structure. When it comes to cleaning, you have three choices. You can either hire a regular cleaning crew, a commercial cleaning crew, or you can do the job yourself. Even though the last option might seem crazy, it actually might be better if you donat want strangers going through your items and possibly throwing away things that you may want to keep.
First, the folks who clean houses for a living do a tough job under sometimes awful circumstances in normal times. You would have to ascertain if this person or people are willing to take on what could possible be the most awful job of their career. Some factors would be how well you know the person, how long you have employed them and how much you are willing to pay. Some people are willing to do this sort of thing for extra money and some wouldn't do it for all the money in the world. This would be something for you to decide.
A commercial cleaning crew does this kind of cleaning for a living, so they know how to handle a house thatas been in a fire. They have the equipment and the manpower to deal with such a big job. I hear from people who have used commercial cleaning crews that they do whatas called a asweep,a by bringing in as many people as possible to cover as much space as possible. This way, there is less work on everybody, and the job gets done a lot quicker.
If you arenat of the financial mind to afford a professional cleaning crew, or the idea of complete strangers cleaning up your mess doesnat sound appealing, youall want to stick to doing the job yourself. You donat want to go it alone, though - enlist the help of close friends and family members to get the job done quick, and lean on them for emotional support as you sift through whatas left of your possessions. Youall need to stock up on some supplies to do the job right: 1. A large shovel, to dig up debris and rubble; 2. Extra large, industrial strength garbage bags; 3. A hose; 4. Large tarps to cover up any areas that may be exposed to the elements, and need protection; 5. Paint, to cover the suit and fire damage; 6. A rented dumpster. Actual clean-up needs to be done in the proper way. Start by 1. Covering any affected areas with tarps to prevent further damager; 2. Draining any water out that may have accrued while the fire was being put out; 3. Remove all loose debris and rubble using the shovel, and place it in the dumpster; 4. Remove heavier items that need to be disposed of in the dumpster; 5. Paint over the walls and any surfaces affected by the fire, after the moisture has dried. Paint can also stop the charring smell that will linger after a fire.
So you see, answers to how long should you wait before cleaning up after a fire are quick to be had. The hard part is realizing that a fire is a most tramautic experience and if you are personally involved, you may believe that you can do an extremely hard job of cleaning up a fire scene, when in fact you cannot. If this fire is personal to you, you may also chose the first paid clean up service you find. I suggest that you take estimates for any work that you hire out, consult with people close to you, who have your best interest at heart, and you will find the answers you seek.
The good part of all of this is that many places have been fire damaged and that can't be helpd, but like the phoenix some "rise from the ashes" in a short period of time either with hired help or by yourself with only a small amount of trouble. May this be the case for you. - 15246
The first step should always be to seek a building inspector, or another expert in fires and structures, to review the scene and make sure the structure is sound and safe. Next, you should leave everything as it is, and wait until someone from your insurance company has come out to inspect the damage. In case you have a lot of expensive items left in the structure, you should remove them and store them somewhere safe. Even though it may reduce the amount of money you receive from the insurance company, in my opinion, itas better to protect the items you still have from being stolen. Thieves specifically target houses and buildings that have just suffered a fire or other disaster, because they know the area is probably unsecured, and they steal whatever they can find. Once youave done all this, the last thing you need to do is take pictures of the area. If your camera was damaged in the fire, buy some disposable cameras from the store.
Next is the worst part: cleaning everything up. You should do this as soon as possible, because waiting too long can cause mold, mildew or bacteria to grow on the items that are left behind and whatas left of the structure. When it comes to cleaning, you have three choices. You can either hire a regular cleaning crew, a commercial cleaning crew, or you can do the job yourself. Even though the last option might seem crazy, it actually might be better if you donat want strangers going through your items and possibly throwing away things that you may want to keep.
First, the folks who clean houses for a living do a tough job under sometimes awful circumstances in normal times. You would have to ascertain if this person or people are willing to take on what could possible be the most awful job of their career. Some factors would be how well you know the person, how long you have employed them and how much you are willing to pay. Some people are willing to do this sort of thing for extra money and some wouldn't do it for all the money in the world. This would be something for you to decide.
A commercial cleaning crew does this kind of cleaning for a living, so they know how to handle a house thatas been in a fire. They have the equipment and the manpower to deal with such a big job. I hear from people who have used commercial cleaning crews that they do whatas called a asweep,a by bringing in as many people as possible to cover as much space as possible. This way, there is less work on everybody, and the job gets done a lot quicker.
If you arenat of the financial mind to afford a professional cleaning crew, or the idea of complete strangers cleaning up your mess doesnat sound appealing, youall want to stick to doing the job yourself. You donat want to go it alone, though - enlist the help of close friends and family members to get the job done quick, and lean on them for emotional support as you sift through whatas left of your possessions. Youall need to stock up on some supplies to do the job right: 1. A large shovel, to dig up debris and rubble; 2. Extra large, industrial strength garbage bags; 3. A hose; 4. Large tarps to cover up any areas that may be exposed to the elements, and need protection; 5. Paint, to cover the suit and fire damage; 6. A rented dumpster. Actual clean-up needs to be done in the proper way. Start by 1. Covering any affected areas with tarps to prevent further damager; 2. Draining any water out that may have accrued while the fire was being put out; 3. Remove all loose debris and rubble using the shovel, and place it in the dumpster; 4. Remove heavier items that need to be disposed of in the dumpster; 5. Paint over the walls and any surfaces affected by the fire, after the moisture has dried. Paint can also stop the charring smell that will linger after a fire.
So you see, answers to how long should you wait before cleaning up after a fire are quick to be had. The hard part is realizing that a fire is a most tramautic experience and if you are personally involved, you may believe that you can do an extremely hard job of cleaning up a fire scene, when in fact you cannot. If this fire is personal to you, you may also chose the first paid clean up service you find. I suggest that you take estimates for any work that you hire out, consult with people close to you, who have your best interest at heart, and you will find the answers you seek.
The good part of all of this is that many places have been fire damaged and that can't be helpd, but like the phoenix some "rise from the ashes" in a short period of time either with hired help or by yourself with only a small amount of trouble. May this be the case for you. - 15246
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